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EXCLUSIVE: Riz Ahmed Says His Parents Have No Idea He Won an Emmy, Talks Season 2 of ‘The Night Of’

By Rachel McRady‍ 2:40 AM PDT, September 18, 2017

Riz Ahmed doesn’t want to keep his parents from their beauty sleep, even when he wins an Emmy Award! The 34-year-old actor picked up his first Emmy for his role in HBO’s The Night Of, but when he spoke to ET’s Kevin Frazier after his win, he claimed his family still didn’t know.

“By the time all the parties will be wrapping up, I think my parents and my family will be awake in London,” the British actor said. “So I think I’ll FaceTime them. They’re all asleep right now.”

“They’re asleep!” Ahmed protested when Frazier gave him a hard time, adding, “I sent them a text.”

Ahmed, who’s had a breakout year in Hollywood, added that he was surprised by his own reaction to landing his first Emmy.

“It’s quite a crazy thing because obviously conceptually you understand this is our job, there are awards, people get awards sometimes. It’s a bit of a random thing,” he said. “But when it actually happens, it’s quite a physical thing, weirdly. I just feel super relaxed. I could sleep for a week now.”

“I don’t have the scoop, but I hope that it comes back,” he said of a second season. “If it does, I imagine my character’s kind of reached the end of his story. But I’d really love to see John Turturro come back and take on a new case. As a fan, I’d love to see that.”